Railway-switch



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RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Nov. 29, l1887.

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RAILWAY SWITCH'. No. 374,054. A Patented Nov. 29, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICEO EUGENE EONTAINEOE TOLEDO, OHIO.

RAILWAY-swlTCH.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,054, dated November 2.9', 1887.

Application filed April 2s, 1887. Serial No. 236,428. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it mag/concern.-

.Be it known that I, EUGENE FONTAINE, of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful irnprovements in railway-switches, of which the following is a' specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my improved switch. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan of that portion of said switch which contains the operating switch-lever, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan of that portion of said switch which. contains the pivotal main rail. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on lines w m and y y in Fig. l.

The object of my invention is to construct a switch which forms a continuous rail for the train under all circumstances, the same as at all other points of the track, and thereby prevents entirely the great wear and tear and the damages incident thereto found inseparably connected with the use of fixed frogs and disconnected railway-rails.

To this end I have devised the following construction and arrangement of parts.

A A are the fixed rails of the main track. A A are movable sw`itch-rails of said track, and A is a pivot-rail in the main track.

B B are the fixed rails of the siding.

The pivot-rail Ahas its pivotal point at the intersection of the inner rails of the mainline tends a sufficient distance to connect directly with either one of the movable rail ends A A of the main track, as hereinafter explained.

The pivot of Vthe movable rail-section A is constructed as follows: Fish-plates D, extending the entire length, or nearly so, of the pivot-rail A, are secured by bolts a to the sides of the rail to render it very rigid and givefit a larger bearing, and at the pivotal point of the rail these shplates have enlarged bearings b, and underneath the same and secured thereto by bolts c is a circular turn-table, d, which has a downwardly-projecting pivot, e, and engages into a corresponding aperture in a bed-plate, f, firmly supported underneath. Tothe under side of the pivot of the turntable d is secured a plate, g, by means of a suitable bolt, h.' The ends of the bedplate fare bent upwardly to form bearings for the rail and have suitable flanges, z', to form lsockets for the converging ends of the fixed rails from crowding against each other.

The free end of the pivotrail is secured to the connecting-rod G by means of a clip, Z, which also engages on the edge of the bed-plate E tovguide the rail in shifting and prevent its .end from springing upward.

The ends of the movable rails A A are both -secured to the connecting-rod H, which extends parallel with the connecting-rod G to the switch-stand, where one connects to a crank I and the other to a crank J. These two cranks have a common shaft, but are placed upon opposite sides,so that the movement ofthe switchlever K, which is secured to said shaft, will draw the connecting-rods in opposite directions, thereby effecting the movements necessary to operatethe switch.

The pivot-rail A may be provided at suitable intervals with bearing-plates L, having the usual fianges to form half-sockets for the rail.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, with the bed-plate E and pivot-rail A, of the connecting-rod G and the clip Z, securing said rod to the said IOO rail and engaging the edge of said bed-plate, e, the bed-plate f, the plate g, and bolt h, se- Substantially as shown and described, and for curing the plate g to the under side of the [o the purpose specified. pivot of the turn-table, al1 combined substan- 2. The combination of the pivot-rail A, tially as described.

the fish-plates D, embracing the sides of the EUGENE FONTAINE.

rail and secured thereto by transverse bolts a Witnesses:

and having the extended bearings b, the turn- H. S. SPRAGUE,

table d, secured thereto and having the pivot CHARLES J. HUNT. 

